In Manhattan last Tuesday afternoon, The Scrapbook discovered what it’s like to get close to the president, and it stinks. We also now understand how to assemble a huge crowd to admire a presidential motorcade: You simply close 40 blocks of one of the busiest streets in the world. With typical attention to detail, the closure was scheduled for the beginning of rush hour, from about 5:00 to 5:30 p.m.

Irwin M. Stelzer books the barber

On a recent trip to Washington I had the rare experience of some free time between meetings. Best used to get a much-needed haircut, I thought. A few blocks from my hotel I found myself in a barber shop of the sort that caters to people more modern than I, a gray-haired economist, and generally above my station in Washington society.

As anyone who has visited New York City knows, getting a taxicab in the city can prove very, very difficult. And finding a driver that speaks English, has working air conditioning, will let a visitor pay by credit card, and knows directions to major landmarks can be even harder. That’s why it’s utterly bizarre that the city is trying to stop drivers from offering taxi-like rides in the city for free.

A Parody.

Bill de Blasio and Wall Street.

First, a matter of numbers and nomenclature: Bill de Blasio, who is being hailed like Eliot Spitzer before him as the new face of American liberalism, won his race to be New York City’s next mayor with a near-record victory margin but also record low turnouts in both the primary and the general elections. There was no “populist” surge as reported in the press. De Blasio won 40 percent of the 22 percent who showed up for the Democratic party primary.

Here’s our travel advisory for New York City: It’s always a great time to go, given the restaurants and the museums and the other sites and attractions. But starting January 1, the city may not be as safe.

Yes, we said “safe,” meaning physically secure. So by all means go to New York City, but if you want to hedge your bets, go between now and January 1.

Why then, you ask? And what’s this concern about safety? Well, there is a story here:

"Anthony Weiner may be lagging in the race for New York City mayor, but he is winning in another area—hot dog marketing. The delicious combination of Anthony Weiner’s name and his sexually suggestive Twitter antics were apparently too good to pass up for one Florida marketing man, who has joined forces with an Illinois hot dog company to create a hot dog brand called . . . ” (“ ‘Carlos Danger’ Brand of Weiners Enters the Food Market,” ABC News, August 16).

What Eliot Spitzer plans to do if he wins.

It’s surprising when a candidate for office tells you exactly what he’ll do if elected. It’s even more surprising when that candidate is Eliot Spitzer. The former Democratic governor of New York resigned in 2008 after being exposed as a client of a high-priced prostitution ring, but as the New York Times revealed earlier this month, he’s getting back into politics by running for an office few can even pronounce: New York City comptroller.

The micro-apartment craze.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has always been interested in real estate. The billionaire media tycoon owns—as The Weekly Standard goes to press—11 homes, including his primary residence, a 12,500-square-foot townhouse on East 79th Street. (He’s the only New York mayor who’s completely shunned the city’s official residence, Gracie Mansion, where mayors have lived since 1942.)

What will they try to ban next?

Did you know that New York City was recently ranked the seventh craziest city in America, based on psychiatrists per capita, stress levels, eccentricity, and alcohol consumption? If one were to judge on its politicians’ ideas, though, the Big Apple would be a shoo-in to receive the “wacko” blue ribbon.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, this loony bin also serves as an incubator for ill-advised trends that eventually go national. Remember the trans fat ban? It got its start in NYC.